Sontag and Kael

A witty and stylish assessment of the work of two icons of cultural criticism: Susan Sontag and Pauline Kael.Though outwardly they had some things in common--they were both Westerners who came east both schooled in philosophy both secular Jews and both single mothers--they were polar opposites in temperament and approach. Seligman approaches both women through their widely discussed work. Kael practiced a kind of verbal jazz--exuberant excessive intimate emotional and funny. Sontag is formal and rather icy. From the beginning it''s clear where Seligman''s sympathies lie: Sontag is a critic he reveres; but Kael is a critic he loves. But for all his reservations about Sontag he considers both writers magnificent and his exploration of their differences results in this luminously written landmark of criticism.